Before you start finding clients, set up your foundation. When prospects do come your way, you need to be ready to convert them.

What are these foundations?

1. Your portfolio

You need a portfolio that’s optimized to convert, not just showcase work. Add case studies showing specific results—traffic growth, conversion numbers, revenue impact…

Include real testimonials with names and designations. 

Display client logos. 

Add multiple ways to contact you. Make it effortless for someone to hire you.

2. Your pricing

Set up a clear pricing structure. You can charge per word, per hour, or per project. 

Value-based pricing often works best. Which focuses on charging based on the potential ROI your content will generate. 

For instance, charging $3,000 for content projected to generate $100,000 in a year makes sense versus charging the same to a client expecting only $20,000.

I recommend creating a tiered pricing sheet with three options. Price these strategically to make your middle tier most attractive. 

Here’s one of the examples Rebecca Huxley posted on LinkedIn:

Keep this document ready but stay flexible—adjust based on client situations.

3. Your process

Put systems in place for smooth client engagement:

• Discovery call scheduling
• Proposal templates
• Contract documents
• Project management workflow
• Communication protocols
• Delivery processes

Finding clients—outbound

Getting clients boils down to two approaches: They find you (inbound), or you find them (outbound). 

We’re talking about finding clients here (outbound). But a word about getting found:

15 ways to find prospects

Outbound means reaching out to potential clients directly. But you can’t just randomly send cold emails or DMs. You need to find the right people first. This requires smart prospecting.

So, how do you find the right people to reach out to? 

There are many ways.

1. Your dream companies: Start with brands whose content you admire. Research their content marketing team on LinkedIn. Build a list of key decision-makers to contact.
2. LinkedIn Sales Navigator: Filter by job titles like Content Marketing Manager, Head of Content, or Marketing Director. Narrow by company size, industry, and location that match your ideal client profile. DM them. Alternatively, extract their email addresses using any third-party tool and send them a cold email.
3. Contact databases: Use ZoomInfo or similar platforms to find people who might be interested in your services. Use their filters to shortlist a group of people to reach out to. Get their verified email addresses.
4. Recently funded companies: Monitor Crunchbase for new funding announcements. Series A and B companies have proven models and dedicated marketing budgets. They often need immediate help scaling content.
5. Agency websites: Study their case studies and client lists. These companies already outsource content work and understand the value of writers. Use LinkedIn to find content decision-makers at these companies.
6. Job boards: Obviously. Monitor them regularly.
7. Peer research: Study who successful writers in your space work with. These companies already work with freelancers and have outsourcing processes in place. They’re good prospects.
8. Writing communities: Join Superpath, Peak Freelance, and other communities. Clients regularly post opportunities here. Even when they don’t, you can learn which companies are actively investing in content through peers.
9. LinkedIn posts: Look for posts indicating content needs or expansion plans. Use the boolean search feature.
10. Market expansion: Track companies entering new regions or verticals through press releases and LinkedIn announcements. They often need localized content and market-specific materials.
11. Marketing tool users: Follow companies like Semrush, Ahrefs, HubSpot, and more. Look at their case studies, engaged followers, and users. Companies investing in premium marketing tools typically invest in content.
12. Leadership changes: Watch for leadership changes in marketing roles. New marketing leaders often revamp content strategies. But for this, you need to be following more marketing leaders.
13. Review sites: Check G2 and similar review sites. Look at the reviews of agencies and marketing tools. Identify people or companies leaving reviews; they could be good prospects to contact.
14. Product marketing roles: Companies hiring product marketers need content support. They require product documentation, feature announcements, and use cases. Target them for bottom-funnel content work.
15. Content repurposing: Find businesses launching podcasts or video series. They may need written versions of their content. Most lack internal resources for repurposing work.

Cold outreach—How to connect with prospects you identified?

Once you have a list of people to contact, focus on writing effective cold emails or DMs. There’s no magic formula, but there are ways to stand out.

• Write attention-grabbing opening lines. Be creative, even bizarre, but stay relevant to their business. Don’t start with “Hope you’re doing well” or “I noticed your company.” Everyone does that. Hook them with something unexpected.
• Show you’ve done your homework. Reference their specific content pieces, recent company news, or social media posts. Make it clear this isn’t a mass email—you’re reaching out to them for a reason.
• Include social proof early in your message. Show results you’ve achieved for similar companies. Use specific numbers when possible. This builds credibility instantly.
• Make your intent clear. Tell them exactly how you can help. What specific value can you provide their content program? What problems can you solve?
• Keep your initial message short. No one reads long cold emails. Get to the point quickly. End with a clear next step.
• Follow up at least 5 times if you don’t get a response. Space these follow-ups 3-7 days apart. Each follow-up should be shorter than the last and add new information or value.

I have published cold email templates and cold DM templates on LinkedIn. Check them out.

A note about volume

Outbound is a numbers game. Even with perfect targeting and great messages, most people won’t respond. Some will say no. That’s normal. Keep reaching out consistently.

But don’t spam. Quality still matters more than quantity. It’s better to send 10 well-researched, personalized messages than 100 generic ones.

Tracking your outreach

Create a spreadsheet to track every aspect of your outreach. Note who you contacted, when you reached out, what you said, and their response. Include follow-up dates and any specific research about the company.

This tracking has two purposes: it helps you follow up consistently and shows you what’s working. Study the responses (or lack of them) to refine your approach over time.

Making both work together

The real magic happens when you combine inbound and outbound efforts. Use outbound to get immediate clients while building inbound systems for long-term growth.

Your outbound efforts can fuel your inbound content. The questions prospects ask in cold email responses become topics for your posts. Client objections become FAQ content. Success stories become case studies.

Similarly, your inbound content makes your outbound more effective. Send relevant articles to prospects after initial contact. Reference your case studies in follow-up emails. Link to your frameworks in cold outreach.

The goal is to build a sustainable client acquisition system. Outbound brings quick results. Inbound builds long-term authority. Together, they create consistent client pipeline.